Deeper Than Love
by VixenWithAPoisonPen
Summary: post Twilight series, au, embry x ofc.. Gigi Swan is Bella's cousin, Charlie's niece. She finds herself burying the man she loves when she's supposed to be marrying him. Down and alone, she turns to her family for support and in the process, she learns that some things are much more complicated, much deeper than love. What does a vision from Alice have to do with things, though? rr
1. authors notes & disclaimers

**AUTHORS NOTES & DISCLAIMERS:**

**First of all, I own nothing pertaining to Twilight, that all goes to Stephanie Meyers. I know I said I grew out of the fandom in my bio, but hey.. I'm still a werewolf vixen at heart. **

**Before I get started, I have not read the series in over 3 or 4 years now. I haven't really seen the movies, to be honest, I decided not to watch them because I'm just not sure I'd have liked them, I'm more of a horror/scifi/comics adaptations/etc than I am romance movie fan. SO NO FLAMES, PLEASE? I'VE ONLY WRITTEN FOR TWILIGHT ONCE, ON MY PREVIOUS USERNAME AND I'M GOING TO TRY, JUST NOT SURE HOW THINGS WILL WORK OUT. JUST BARE WITH ME..**

**No this is NOT my other twilight fanfic that was Embry x OC, this is an entirely new one POST the series, with Embry x OC .. **

**So sue me. I got feels for the guy, I never liked that they never let him imprint. So yes.. He will be imprinting, in my story. **

***crossing self * well, this is me, praying to God above this isn't the most horrible thing I've ever written. If you like it, let me know.**

_**LOVE IS LOVE.. OR IS IT?**_

**It wasn't supposed to happen this way.. Gianna, known to her family as Gigi, was supposed to be getting married to the man of her dreams, not putting the man of her dreams in the ground, getting her head around becoming a mother, completely alone.**

**Down and afraid, she turns to her uncle Charlie and her quirky cousin Bella who's settled into her own married life, has her own kid, Renesmee. She reluctantly lets Bella talk her into moving to the border town between Forks / La Push, and that's when she realizes that life's bigger than she originally thought.**

**When she learns the secrets of her cousin's family and husband, she struggles to accept it, her cousin giving up her right to die one day, to be with the man she loves. Through the bond she and Bella form, she learns about herself, about life (the other side of it, not the side she knows of it) and about love.**

**Eventually, she happens to meet Embry Call, a local Quileute guy who comes around sometimes with Jacob Black, who seems to be fixated on Nessie. They form a friendship and then she learns about him.**

**Which only complicates itself when he imprints after she's started to fall for him.. Is chosen love the same as love that chooses you?**

**If you're curious, keep reading.**


	2. the phone call

"You're sure you won't mind having me underfoot all the time?" Gigi asked as she rolled over, her eyes catching for a moment on the picture that sat on her nightstand as she felt the tears stinging at her eyes, threatening to come at any moment now.

"Yes, I'm sure. Besides.. You need your family around you right now. I can't imagine how I'd feel if.." Bella trailed off as she twisted a strand of her mahogany hair around her fingertips. But she'd never have to go through that, she reminded herself. She'd traded in her own mortality for a chance to be with her true love. A choice that she'd made willingly, she hadn't had to agonize over.

A choice that her cousin, one of her closest friends outside of Alice, of course, knew nothing about and didn't get. She didn't get a do over.

She didn't get some last call save that bought her fiancee back to her.

"Bells?"

"Yeah, I'm still here. Just thinking." Bella mused to herself as she smiled, watching Edward playing the piano that sat in the corner of their living room. She sighed as she said "Just come for a little while, that's all I'm asking. It's almost Christmas, Gigi and even Dad's worried about you."

Gigi sighed as she looked around the small lakeside cabin and raked her hands through her dark brown hair, thought about it a moment. The nausea hit her again like a bolt out of the blue and she said quietly, "Hang on a second."

"Are you okay?"

"Feeling sick.."

"What's wrong?"

Gigi raced to the bathroom and after she finished her latest bout of nausea, she brushed her teeth quickly, picked up the phone as she thought about everything that'd happened, everything that'd changed, all her well thought out plans gone, all her hopes for a happy future dashed.

The doctor said it was probably her body reacting to all the stress, but for some reason, she could just feel that this wasn't the answer. She froze in a slight panic as she said quietly, "Bells?"

"Yeah?"

"When you found out you were pregnant with Nessie.. Did you feel sick all the time?"

Bella grimaced as she bit her lip. Her pregnancy of course, hadn't been a normal one by any means. So she couldn't really answer without giving away the truth.

"Yeah." she said quickly as she asked, "Why?"

"Because.. I might.."

"You think you might be pregnant." Bella finished as she drummed her fingers against the tabletop, grimacing. She felt really, really bad for her cousin right now.

Going through all she had, then thinking she had happiness, only to lose it in such a short span of time. And now, she might be pregnant, right on top of it.

It only made her more insistant that Gigi come to visit. She needed people around her that loved her, wanted to support her.

Gigi sighed as she said quietly, "Actually, I haven't taken a test.. I just.. It feels like I might be.. That makes no sense whatsoever."

"It does. It's not uncommon." Bella said as she looked at Edward, mouthed who she was talking to. He gave an understanding nod and then asked, "Well? Get her to cave yet?"

"I think so."

Gigi sat down as she looked at her hands. She still hadn't taken off the ring, she still hadn't put his clothes in the attic. The doctor said that rehashing everything that happened that night wasn't going to change anything, bring her fiancee back.

Her hand went to her stomach and she sighed as she muttered quietly, "If I am pregnant, I need to go somewhere where he's still there, just not all around me like this.. Or I'll never stay healthy enough for me and you, kid."

She bit her lower lip as she spoke into the phone quietly telling her cousin "I'll come for the holidays. I might move there.. Pretty sure uncle Charlie gets lonely, being the bachelor and all that."

"Good. So I can tell dad you'll be here for Thanksgiving?"

"Yeah. I'll leave around Wednesday. You're sure this isn't a major inconvienence on anyone, right?"

"Beyond sure, Gigi, just ge your butt here already. I haven't seen you in so long.. I miss you."

"I miss you too, Bells."

They hung up and after booking a flight, Gigi packed and looked around the small cabin.. She owned it outright, her real father left it to her when he died... If she did decide to make this permanent, she could keep the place..

All she did know was that right now, grief and handling it alone was about to drive her completely and totally insane.

Bella walked into the kitchen and sat down with Renesmee, watching her color while Alice drew something, probably a vision she'd seen. She finished and shoved the paper at Bella as she said "Please tell me you got her to say she'd come?"

"Yeah.. Hey, isn't that Embry's wolf form..."

Alice smiled as she zipped her lips and said "It's not exactly what I saw, but he's been really, really down lately. I can kind of feel it."

"Everyone can." Bella said as she smiled a little, wondered what exactly Alice had seen, but tried not to focus on it for the moment.

She had plans to make. She was finally going to get to see her cousin again for the first time in a long time.

And now the problem reared its head.. How to explain the life she chose to Gigi? She knew Gigi was the open minded one, but she just wasn't sure if she thought that outside the box..

Biting her lower lip, she also worried about her cousin. She hadn't really ever heard her sound as sad as she did, as defeated as she had on the phone just now.

Maybe this visit would help her.

Maybe she'd want to stay.


	3. arriving in washington

The plane ride to Washington had been a time for her to sit, to stare out the window at the states she flew over and just think. She now knew she was pregnant, at least 2 months along and she was falling apart on the inside.

Her eyes scanned the crowded airport terminal but before she could really find Bella, Bella and her new family, her uncle Charlie, well, they found her.

The first thing she noticed was how pale Bella's in laws were, but she said nothing. She noticed something odd about Bells too, but again, she brushed it off. Maybe it was the time they hadn't seen one another, or just stress and horomones making her all crazy minded right now.

She knew grief played a big part of it.

Bella pulled her into a hug and then asked, "Well?"

"I'm pregnant." she said quietly as Bella hugged her, then her uncle Charlie hugged her. She even managed to get a hug from Bella's daughter, Renesmee.

"You'll be alright now." the pixie like redhead told her confidently almost as if she knew Gigi was going to be fine for some reason.

"Eventually, I hope so." Gigi muttered as she said "I'm two months along, it's going ot be a little girl.. Thinking I'm going to make good on my promise and name her Georgiana Isabelle."

"You totally don't have to, Gigi. We were 5 when we said that." Bella joked as she hugged her cousin again and said quietly, "It's so good to see you. God I missed you."

"I missed you too." Gigi muttered as she added sheepishly, "I can't breathe.."

"Oh, oops."

As they walked out of the airport, Gigi looked around at the group of people who'd come to greet her flight. Once she was in her uncle Charlie's cruiser, he asked quietly, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay. About as okay as I can be." she sighed as her forehead rested against the cool glass of the window on the passenger side.

"It'll be nice having someone in the house again. I mean Bells is there all the time, with Edward, Alice, Nessie.. But they go home. Gets lonely."

Gigi nodded as she said quietly, "Yeah, the quiet was getting to me too." while biting her lower lip. The ride seemed like it didn't take maybe all of 3 minutes and they were sitting in the driveway of her uncle's house, Bella and Edward's Volvo parked behind his cruiser.

"You're sure you're okay with me being around so much?"

"You're family, Gigi." Charlie said as he added, "I'm just glad you're here. We were all worrying about you. You called to check in a lot more before all of this happened."

"Yes sir." she said quietly as they got out and Edward and Charlie helped her getting her things into the house, Emmett and Jasper, Alice talking quietly amongst themselves.

"And you're sure it's her, not the baby.."

"No, but.."

"I'm trying to send her calm. I can just feel it, she needs it." Jasper muttered as he bit his lip and focused.

Emmett nodded and said quietly ," It's gotta be bad, losing someone right when you're about to marry them." as he looked up the stairs.

"It is. She's in a lot of pain. Trying her best to hide it." Edward muttered as Bella shot him a disapproving look and he said quietly, "I don't have to read her mind to know it, Bella." and hugged his wife.

"Let's just be there for her. Try and help her. I'm just hoping we can get her to stay. She really doesn't have anyone else." Bella muttered as they stopped talking, Gigi walked into the room quietly.

"We'll have to catch up tomorrow, Bells.. I'm actually sort of tired. I probably wouldn't be much company tonight anyway." Gigi muttered as she hugged her cousin and then her cousin's husband and child, let the others that'd come with Bella and Edward hug her.

She managed a smile for them and when they were out the door, she said her goodnights to her uncle and walked back up the stairs to Bella's old room, falling into bed, staring at the ceiling for a while.

"How the hell am I going to do this?" she wondered aloud as she again bit back the tears that stung at her eyes and rolled over, letting herself at least try to get some sleep.

Outside, in the distance, a lone wolf howled and she sat up, listening intently, a shiver crossing her arms.

When she hadn't heard the rather sad sounding howl, she lie back down and finally managed to get just a little sleep.

Maybe doing this was going to help her. She had to at least try, right?

Tomorrow, she'd try and get out, at least see the town, spend some time with Bella and her new family, get to know them. In the back of her mind, the things she'd noticed about them sort of tugged at her, but she put it off. Whatever it was, it was probably just her own imagination.


	4. getting to know everyone, pt 1

Pounding on her bedroom door bright and early the next morning had Gigi sitting up, rubbing her eyes. She looked at the clock on the nightstand.. Had she really and truly finally slept through an entire night without crying herself to sleep first? She took a few deep breaths and muttered to herself, "One day at a time, Gigi. This is gonna take a long time to come back from. You can do it." before slipping on a pair of pale gray silk pajama bottoms and opening the door slowly.

Jasper, the male who'd come with Bella and Edward, his other family members and her uncle Charlie to pick her up, stood there casually, a smile on his face. "Bella sent me to get you."

"Huh?"

"She told me to come and get you, bring you to the house." his warm and slightly southern accented voice said as he added, "Besides.. I wanted to talk to ya."

"About?"

"Just talk, really. Been so long since I've heard an accent similar to mine.." Jasper trailed off as he looked at her then said "Nevermind."

Okay, so his mind was reeling right now, Alice had another vision, and this one.. It saddened him. It meant that if Alice's vision was right, then Alice wasn't his mate.. But her visions had been known to be completely and totally wrong before. Or at the very least, partially inaccurate.

At any rate, he'd woken up to find her gone, find a note detailing the vision she'd had that lead her on a trek to make sure her mate wasn't out there somewhere, waiting.

He was alone again, and he didn't really like being alone. Okay, so he had the Cullens, but without Alice...

He exhaled sharply and then said quietly, "Just thought maybe we could take a walk or something." as he raked his hand through his coppery brown hair, waited on her to grab clothes, get dressed. While he did so, his eyes moved around the room Bella used to inhabit when she lived here with Charlie.

He noticed the picture on the nightstand and he asked, "Is that the guy?" as he smiled a little.. So the man she lost had been a soldier too. Interesting. His mind kept reminding him this was not your average situation, that Gigi had no idea what had happened to Bella, or anything about the existance of another world beyond this one.

He also reminded himself again that maybe his heart hurting right now, because of what Alice had seen, what she claimed about Gigi, about Embry and about himself.. It was all too confusing. Maybe he should back off.

But he just didn't like someone hurting that much. And he realized last night that for some reason, he'd only been able to partially calm her. He'd said nothing, but then Alice had the vision she'd had and left.. Now he wasn't sure if her vision were wrong or right and Gigi was his mate or what would happen next, especially if she met Embry Call, and things that Alice had seen happened there, also.

Then again, Alice had been wrong before. This time, it was just a matter of waiting and seeing which part was true, which part was slightly different than what she'd seen.

"Are you okay?" Gigi asked as she emerged from the small bathroom adjoining the bedroom.

"Yeah, just thinking."

"It's okay.. I do it a lot." Gigi mused as she looked at him. Was it just her, or did he seem to look hurt?

She blinked a little and then said with a smallish smile, "Let's get going then. I'm actually glad Bells talked me into coming to visit."

They walked down the stairs and he helped her into the passenger seat of Edward's Volvo, turned on the radio. The drive to the Cullen's house was a quiet one, he watched her intently, watching how her face seemed to light up a little, seeing the woods, the scenery they passed while on the way there. They'd made it just a little way closer to the house, when she spotted the old white cottage style house on sale.

"I might have to look at that." she muttered to herself as she sighed and then said "If I decide to stay."

"I hope ya do." Jasper said as they turned into the Cullen's driveway, and he parked. Bella ran down, hugging Gigi as she got out. "You were awake? You never got up early before."

"The habit kind of started recently." Gigi said quietly as she looked at the house her cousin was living in and said "Wow. That's big."

"Not really. Just looks like it. So, are you feeling alright today?"

"Yeah, just hungry."

"We'll order pizza, watch the movies we used to watch all the time. The guys can just sit there, shut up and deal with it." Bella said as Gigi snickered at the guy's mocked facial expressions of horror and agony.

They walked into the house, settled in the den. And the more Gigi looked around the room at the Cullen family, the more she found herself wondering what they weren't telling her.. They seemed normal enough, but something just kept nagging at her. She'd only really just met them though, so she again shoved it out of her mind.

The pizza came and Gigi tore into it eagerly, the smell of pepperoni filling her nostrils, making her groan as she took a bite. Jasper tried not to laugh a little and then said "It's that good, huh?"

"Mhmm. I've only been wanting pepperoni pizza for over a week now." Gigi muttered through a mouth full as Bella pointed out, "You've got sauce.. It's on your nose.."

"Where's Alice?"

"She, umm.. She had to go visit family." someone said quickly, as they all looked at one another and then at Gigi. Should they go ahead and tell her what they were, and see what happened?

If they did, what if what Alice saw was true?

The tension in the room didn't go missed by Gigi but again, she put it off to overactive imagination, grief and severe lack of sleep and socialization. And they settled in again to watch movies, quietly.

Why _did_ she get the feeling that there was something nobody was telling her?


	5. late night conversations with a wolf?

The howling outside her bedroom window had her sitting up again, rubbing her arms. She raked a hand through her hair as she bit her lower lip. The wolf's howl, in some ways, sounded almost sad. She slid out of the bed, creeping to the window, peering out towards the woods nearby, just in time to catch an almost gray wolf standing there.

She rubbed her eyes and the gray wolf was gone. Shrugging it off, she flopped carefully back down onto the bed and stretched lazily, fumbling around for her cell phone.

She queued up Bella's number and then bit her lip, debating a moment, her fingers hesitant.. For some reason, she didn't want to tell Bella about having just seen a wolf. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she just didn't want to. Instead, she stood and slid on her hoodie that lie near the bed, grabbed a flashlight. Her uncle was working the night shift at the station tonight, she couldn't sleep for some reason.

"This is insane, really.. Wandering around outside, at night, when it's cold and I'm pregnant." she grumbled to herself as she started towards the grouping of trees that she'd seen the wolf in last. She flipped the flashlight on and shined it in a few key areas, stopping when her flashlight found two glowing eyes. Her hand raised to her mouth and she was about to walk away when the wolf she'd seen from her bedroom window started towards her, a slow and almost cautious pace.

"W-whoa.. Easy, boy.. Easy."

The wolf continued to walk towards her and she muttered, "Crap.. Well, I've done it now." as she eyed it, her heart racing. She should have been running back to the safety of her Uncle Charlie's nearby house, but.. She instead started to walk towards the wolf, her hand out. Maybe if she showed it she meant no harm?

_'You're an idiot, Gigi. Get your ass back inside!' _her mind screamed over and over as she sat down on a log, surprised when the wolf nuzzled it's cold black nose against her cheek. She let out a ragged breath and looked over, cautiously sliding her hand over the wolf's smooth gray/black spotted fur as she muttered, "I have done some weird shit in my time.. Never thought I'd be petting a wolf.. Don't bite me, okay, bud?"

The wolf's answer was to nuzzle cold nose against her cheek again.

_'And now, I've gone and done it.. I've imprinted on an unborn kid, knowing my luck. Yeah, that's about right.' _Embry found himself thinking, slightly bitter.. He hadn't wanted to come out here, he hadn't been even patrolling this area, really.. But the smell hung heavy in the air, he'd been drawn to it, despite all attempts NOT to be.

_'And if I didn't imprint on the unborn kid, my luck? Mommy's taken and this entire process, while finally happening, will be for absolutely nothing.. I've heard about what happens when an imprint doesn't take, really don't wanna end up like that..' _ he thought seconds later, as he picked up on a slight look of sadness in the girls eyes. So he nudged against her again, to make her look at him.

_'Damn it, this would be so much easier if I were a fucking human right now. Seriously? There's so much I wanna ask her.. I mean I get what Bella warned me about earlier, what Jacob told me after he told me what Alice saw.. But she needs me around now.. From the looks of it.. I mean if that's my imprint she's carrying, or god forbid I actually BE lucky enough to have imprinted on HER not the baby..' _

"You're a sweet boy... So warm too." Gigi muttered as she leaned against the furry wolf, shivering a little. Wolves, if you really thought about it, were almost like larger dogs.. She'd always wanted a pet when she was smaller, but her mom, she'd never allowed it, saying that she already had more than enough on her hands being forced to care for Gigi.. A pet would be an inconvienence for her, Gigi had already been enough of one. She stroked the wolf's fur and said quietly, "Can't actually sleep lately.. It's just.. I try and I keep hearing the 21 gun salute.. I keep seeing them drape the flag over... The coffin going into the ground and.. I lose it all over again.. He'd just come back to me, to us.. Then a drunk driver.."

The soft warm fur almost enveloped her as the wolf nuzzled itself against her, letting her sort of 'hug' it. She bit her lower lip, still quite confused as to why she was even sitting here talking to a creature of the forest, a creature that by all means, intents and purposes should scare her half to death, given her current state.

Was this all some kind of dream?

She continued to speak, quietly as she looked at it, sighed, "I just wanted to find that one person, ya know.. The one person who'd stay... When I did, they got taken.. So tell me how I'm supposed to tell my kid that life's not completely unfair, it doesn't totally suck.." scratching the wolf behind it's ears, getting another nuzzle from a cold wet nose.

"I should probably go inside.." she muttered as she looked at it, hesitantly.

_'No, don't.. Not yet.. You were talking, I was listening, it was helping you, sort of.. I could just sort of tell..' _Embry thought to himself as he heard at least 3 other howls in the nearby distance. The girl smiled at him gently and pointed to the nearby distance, the expanse of trees as she said quietly, "You should get back to your family.. But I'll see you again?"

_'In person, actually. How's tomorrow?' _Embry thought to himself as he nuzzled the palm of her hand again, turned, walked away towards the rest of his pack, hesitantly. It took everything the tall and slender male he phased back into moments later had in him NOT to just go back, do something.. But he'd have no excuse to even be in Forks. He lived on the res.

"Well?" Leah asked, brow quirked as Sam waited, expectantly, concerned for Embry. Embry had really taken it hard that he hadn't imprinted, the others all had already.

" It's either her or the baby she's pregnant with. Knowing my luck, we all know how my luck is.." he muttered quietly as he sat, biting the edge of his thumb in thought. "Is there ANY way I can figure it out?"

"There might be, yes.. In the meantime.. You can go with Jacob to meet her in person tomorrow.. But beyond that, Embry, you know what has to happen, for now at least."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, Sam." he muttered quietly as he looked up at the moon and managed a slight smile. Either way, maybe things would work themselves out. He had imprinted, finally, so that wasn't on his mind, depressing him as it had been before.

"Well? Is she pretty?"

Embry glared at Paul, who'd asked, curious and then said stiffly, "Probably the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life."

Jacob smirked as he laughed at his friend's current mood and then said "Let's get inside now, guys? Kind of fucking freezing."

"We don't get cold.."

"I know, but.. I'm sleepy.. And you, Embry, you need sleep. Tomorrow's the day, remember, buddy?"

Embry smiled and nodding said "Yeah.. Out there.. She kind of told me about losing the guy she was with.. I get the feeling.."

"She's had a rough life, from what Bella's told me and what little I remember about her from the few weeks she lived with her mom at Charlies when she was a kid."

"Define rough, Jake."

"Her mom didn't want her, and took joy in telling her this, but she wouldn't just let her live with Charlie and be happy, normal.." Jacob said quietly as he watched Embry processing the information.

Around the corner, he hurriedly texted Bella and then Nessie, explaining what'd happened, how tomorrow, he'd bring Embry with him to meet Gigi, and asked if Bella could get Gigi to stay put long enough for that to happen.

* * *

Bella groaned, palming her forehead as she realized that BOTH things Alice saw before vanishing were now apparently going to happen to her cousin.. Until the door got knocked on and Alice stepped in, dropped her bags.

"I was wrong.."

"Where the hell were you?"

"I went looking for a mate.. I've already found mine, Jasper, I'm so.. I'm so sorry I left you."

Jasper managed a smile and then hugged her as he said quietly, "You're back now. Just don't leave again."

"What were you wrong about?"

"well, leaving, and.. which of the two Embry might have imprinted on.."

"But you said it was the baby.."

"I was confused, Bella. The way I saw it, it seemed like it was the baby.. And then tonight, I figured out how to tell which of the two it was.."

Bella nodded and said "That's good, because Embry saw her tonight."

"Well? How'd it go?"

"He was sort of in four legged form. He said she talked to him for a while."

* * *

Lady Antebellum played at a low volume as Gigi hummed along, trying to get herself to sleep now. She felt a little better after sort of spilling things to that wolf outside, which to her made no logical sense, really, why hadn't it eaten her?

"There's something more than a little weird about this town. But hey, I can cross petting a wolf off of my bucket list." she muttered as sleep finally came to her, and she drifted off for the night. She'd talk to someone about it, sooner or later. For now, though, she'd gotten a little bit off of her chest. She felt a little better, not much, but it was a start in the right direction in her opinion.

Tomorrow was going to be an early one, she had a doctor's visit first, and then, she'd promised Bella she'd stop by, at least look at some of the houses Esme found for sale in town. Her mind went back to that little cottage looking house she'd seen up for sale on the way to the Cullens. She'd ask about it tomorrow, maybe someone hadn't bought it.

She blinked as she realized she was actually considering this, moving here.

Why not? Nothing left for her where she'd left to get away from all the memories in her past. And her family, all of it, was here. She'd come to realize just how much she missed them since she'd come for this visit.


	6. seeing Embry again AND in a new light

"What is it about this band, honestly, Gigi?" Bella asked as she heard the Doors begin to play on Gigi's phone.

"I happen to like it."

"It's trippy."

"And?" Gigi asked, managing a laugh, singing along to People Are Strange, as she looked around the small cottage near Bella's own house, close to her uncle Charlie's place. The more she saw it, the more she thought of buying it. And she remembered that the night before, when she'd had that little run in with the wolf that probably should have scared her shitless more than made her curious, she realized that the wolf might be around a lot.. She'd sort of in a sense, have a pet.. Or at least some form of comfort.

"This is the cottage, huh?" Bella asked as Gigi nodded and said quietly, "Yeah.. I mean there's really nothing left back there for me to go home to.. If I move here, I'm closer to you and Uncle Charlie, that's all that matters." and looked at her hand a moment. She'd almost taken off the ring this morning, but she hadn't been able to.

It still hurt too damn much.

"Are you okay, Gigi?" Bella asked in concern, wondering if she should maybe call the visit... Then she started to think back.. Embry and Gigi were always really, really close when they were all kids and both of the girls spent summers with Bella's dad. And Gigi might not remember, but she'd admitted to Bella that Embry was sort of her 'first crush'.

Maybe this needed to happen, she reasoned. The only thing that perplexed her, was not knowing whether Embry imprinted on her cousin, or the baby her cousin was carrying currently. She hoped it wasn't the secondary scenario.

"This place.. It's kinda out in the woods, Gigi.. You do realize it's sitting right on the line, you're almost living in La Push?"

"Yeah.. Hey, is Embry still around? I've been wondering whatever happened to him, lately. It's probably nothing, I just.."

"What do you mean?"

"I keep dreaming of that last summer we both stayed up here."

"You mean the kiss that almost was, but wasn't?"

"Yeah. If only Billy Black and Embry's mom hadn't shown up to get 'em."

"Yeah, you were so embarassed, you didn't want to come out of your room for a week.. Then you had to leave.."

"Yeah.. I just.. I wonder sometimes.." Gigi started, then sighing said "Forget it.. Life is what it is.. Besides, he's probably either married or taken and.. I'm probably never gonna be able to really be with someone ever again.. It never works well for me."

"Don't say that, Gigi. What's bringing all this up?"

"This dream I had three nights in a row, earlier this week.. It's nothing, trust me.. Just a bunch of what if type things, really.. Boring." Gigi waved her off as she looked around the small cottage. Yes, she could see herself starting over here.. She could almost picture herself with her unborn child, playing in the living room floor or baking cookies in the kitchen..

Just as soon as she actually learned how to bake without burning of course.

"So, is she going to buy the house?" Alice asked, peeking in, hopefully as Bella looked at Gigi who paced, biting her thumb nail. "Yeah.. I think I'm gonna buy it.. You guys and Rose are gonna help me decorate it, right?"

"Definitely.. I love shopping." Alice smirked as she said "And you have house guests, lady of the cottage."

"You mean crazy cat lady who talks to forest creatures at night, right?"

Alice laughed and then smiling said "No, I mean lady of the cottage." as she stepped out, grabbed Embry by the elbow. "You.. She's been having an up and down day.. Bring her up."

"Will do."

"Good boy." Alice joked as she ruffled his hair then said "Jacob." quietly, before walking back down to the spot she'd parked her car, talking to the realtor that they'd bought out here with them to look at the place.

"So, I heard there's this crazy cute girl who's back in town?" Embry joked casually as he leaned in the doorway, arms crossed, basically learning the layout of the house, trying to picture himself with her, in it.

Surprisingly, he could.

As soon as she heard his voice, she dropped the soda bottle she'd been holding in her hands and froze a second, turning around as she blinked and almost gasped. "E-embry?"

He shrugged and smiled as he picked her off of the floor in a tight hug. "And you.. You finally came back." he muttered as she laughed and said "Whoa, easy.." and nodded down to her stomach.

"Yeah, I heard.. So, do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" Embry asked as he looked at her, trying to sense if she were alright right now. She seemed so upset, depressed.. Almost like she'd been the night before, when he'd been sitting with her, listening to her talk while phased into wolf form.

"It's going to be a little boy, actually."

He groaned inwardly, then realized that this had to mean she was his imprint. Right?

Bella saw the look in his eyes and smiling a little, walked over, whispered, "Smell the t shirt I have on.. If it smells anything like her scent, Call, it is her.."

"Yeah." he muttered, blinking a little to himself.. So it was her?

Now a whole new set of worries opened themselves up to him.. The key one being how in the hell was he going to explain what he was, what happened to them to link them, to her?

Without sounding like a complete fucking nutcase..

He leaned against a stair railing and the decorative knob at the top came off. "damn it." he muttered as he really started to look around the place now, concerned. Was this place even partially livable?

"_Would you relax, Embry?"_

_"Jake, can you just not do that here?"_

_"You're going to blow this if you don't fucking relax."_

_"Look.. I'm still in shock, okay? You know how I felt about her then, the few times I got to be around her even. You KNOW what a big deal this is for me, Jake.."_

She'd walked into the kitchen, he walked in, walked up behind her. "Totally building the baby a tree house.. Right there, in that tree." she muttered as he shook his head and shrugging said "I'll do it. Remember that one summer? Charlie and Billy tried to build all of us one?"

"And it fell down before we even got in it?"

"Yeah." Embry said as he held her gaze and leaned in, brushing a fallen strand of hair back behind her ear. "I, umm.. I missed you. And I'm sorry about what happened.."

She sighed and said "I'm trying to get around it, I just.. I think about everything I went through.. Maybe that wasn't supposed to be my moment of happiness, ya know?"

"Maybe not. But I know it hurts.. I can look at you and tell." Embry said as he looked at her, licked his lips as he rubbed his neck. Just even being around her right now, he was having to really put a lid on all of his urges, it was harder than he'd thought it'd be. He sort of saw now why Sam was so adamant about the guys staying away from their imprints until they learned to control themselves around her.

Jasper walking in had him growling a little as Jasper raised a brow then said quietly, "Not intruding, dog." under his breath as he hugged Gigi, probably the closest human friend he had outside of Bella, when she'd been human. "How'd it go earlier? Alice said you're having a boy.. I saw somethin earlier.." he said as he pulled out a Mariners onesie.

"Really? The Mariners, Jas?" Gigi joked as she smiled at him and said "Thanks. Gonna need all the stuff I can get.. Glad the newspaper hired me to write for the sports column and freelance now, actually."

"So you're gonna buy the house?"

"Yeah."

Embry growled a little and Jasper muttered something then said "I better get going. I'll see you later, though, right? It's game night."

"And the Braves are gonna whoop the Mariners asses." Gigi joked as he laughed her off and said "Actually, I could spoil that for you, but I'm not." before slinking out the door.

"Taking it he knows now he imprinted on her, not the baby." he muttered as he held Alice against him, his hand smoothing over her hair. She giggled as she looked up at him and asked, "get the riot act when you went in there?"

"Yeah, basically, in not so many words as growls."

Inside the cottage, Embry stood behind her, watching her try and reach up to a higher cabinet. Out of reflex, he reached out, above her, opening the cabinet. "And that, shorty.. Is why you're gonna use the ones on the bottom.. Right?"

"I, err, yeah.." Gigi muttered as she found herself getting lost in his eyes, while also thinking that they reminded her a LOT of the eyes of the wolf from the night before.

She rubbed her neck.. Was it getting hot in here?

"Totally blaming hormones." she mentally told herself as she looked up at him.

"You okay?" he asked in concern, going on alert.

"I'm fine, it's just.. Wow.. I was just talking to Bella about seeing you again and here you are." Gigi admitted, biting her nails as she studied him intently, brushing her hand over his short hair. "Why'd you cut it off?"

"Kind of had to." he explained quickly as he reached out, ran his fingers through her hair, smiled and said "I always thought you'd look good with long hair." as he mentally kicked himself.. Bella and the others just told him NOT to rush things, to pick up their friendship first, go from that because of all the pain she'd been through.

But it was too hard to do that, really.

"I, ermm, thanks." she muttered as she admitted, "Actually, you look good like this. I miss your long hair.. But this just kinda fits you.." as she leaned against the counter just a little. She kept feeling this incredibly strong pull TO him, even though she kept trying to fight it.

Yeah, she'd had a crush on him when they were all kids but now.. This was sort of beyond that.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Embry, really." she admitted, sort of meaning it at the moment, which surprised her,really.

"So, according to the realtor.. I sign the paper, I own this place.. Do you maybe wanna come over or something later? I was gonna come and clean up.." she muttered, wondering why she'd asked him that. He probably had a million different things to do.

"I.. I'd love to, but I can't.. Work." he said as he swore in his mind. This was the hardest part of the whole thing. But, it was for her own good, supposedly.

"Aww, okay.. I'll see you around though, right?"

"Yeah." he smiled as he hugged her against him one more time. Jacob cleared his throat and said " We've gotta get going, man.. Gonna be late for work."

"Coming, damn it." Embry ground out through gritted teeth as he leaned in, brushed his finger across her lower lip. "I'm not lying.. If I weren't working, Gigi, I would be here."

"I know." she muttered as she smiled a little and then said "Call me later or something.." as she took his phone, put her number and name into his contacts list.

"And you call me." he muttered as he took her phone and did the same.

Then he left.

Bella walked back in and said "Told Dad you're buying the house.. He said it's one of the best early Christmas presents he's gotten in a while. He's coming by to look at it. Well?"

"Well what?"

"How'd it go?"

"There's something up with him, Bella.. Like, I can't quite put my finger on it, really.. But I just get the feeling he's not telling me something."

Bella bit her lip, she was still hiding her own secret and the last thing she wanted to do was spill ALL of their secrets, collectively.

"It was probably nerves." she lied as she looked at her cousin and then said "Well? Is that all?"

Gigi looked around and then said quietly, " Okay, so maybe I felt something." as she looked at her hands, feeling guilty. She'd promised herself already, but her fiance was gone.. Was it too soon to be considering anything beyond friendship with her childhood best friend/crush, Embry Call?

"I feel like a horrible person now.. But I can't lie and say there wasn't something.." she started as Bella hugged her and then said "And as usual, Gigi, I'm gonna do what I've always done.. You don't have to know the answer or have a plan for everything right away. Just pick up being friends with him."

"He's single?" she asked, surprised as Bella giggled and said "Oh yeah.. I can definitely tell you felt something." as she smiled to herself.

Maybe this was all going to work itself out.. The harder part would be telling Gigi everything.. She'd always been the black / white type.. There wasn't really a gray area for her on things like this.. She just had to hope this all worked out for the best, because clearly, the two of them needed each other.


	7. falling asleep in his paws (arms)

She laughed a little as she looked around the cottage in shock, then at the clock. "Wow.. It's getting really, really damn late." she said as her uncle Charlie, his best friend, Billy Black looked up at her and then said " Not bad for a day and two old timers, huh?"

"Not at all, sirs." Gigi joked as she stepped away from the playful swat her uncle gave her arm, looking around again. They'd been working on the house for almost a week now, she'd also been 'working' or doing as much as her uncle, her cousin and her cousin's extended family would let her do, and all in all, even though she knew she wasn't over what happened, or her loss, not by a long shot, she was at least starting to feel okay again.

"Gigi, why do you have a dog food bowl and a waterer out here?" Charlie asked as she shrugged and said "There's this wolf.. He comes by at night.. So I keep him scraps in the bowl, water in the waterer."

Billy almost burst into laughter, but he said nothing. By now, the tribe and the pack of course, knew Embry had imprinted on someone, but until the okay was given, Embry wasn't allowed to reveal his 'other form' to Gigi. Personally, Billy was just glad to see that the two of them were linked as they were. They'd always been close, even when they were kids, before his 'shifter' genetics came into play with Embry.

"Are you sure that's safe, feeding a wolf?" Charlie asked in concern, only to cough. Yeah, he knew, and he realized that Billy had come over earlier, under the guise of 'having to tell him something' concerning Gigi and Embry, the part of the world Gigi was still in the dark about.

"Uncle Charlie, seriously?"

"What?"

"He comes in here and sits on my couch with me, watches tv. He's a damn good guard too." Gigi stated as she looked at the two men and asked, "What? What are those looks for?"

Billy shrugged and ruffled her hair, laughing a little to himself, and Charlie shrugged and then said "Be sure to lock up.. And the pepper spray, Gigi. It's in the table in the hallway, next to the pistol."

"Okay, alright." Gigi pretended to grumble as she hugged her uncle, walked the two older men out to the smaller stone driveway as she called out, "Thanks again."

"You're family, Gianna." Charlie reminded her, smiling. So what she was the daughter of his ex wife's baby sister? He'd been in her life since birth, and he didn't intend to stay out now, even though she was grown, obviously capable of handling herself, even if she were struggling right now, too overcome with grief to really do anything.

"Yes sir." she saluted teasingly as she said "Maybe by the weekend, I'll have a tv, huh? We can all watch the game or something."

"That'd be good."

Once he was in the truck with Billy, he asked, "Back there... That wolf.. Do they have another identity?" without really looking at his best friend.

Billy shrugged, but Charlie said "Seriously? You had to keep your own werewolf status from me when we were kids.. It'd actually make me feel better if it's one of the guys, not just some average wolf. At least I'd know she's being watched over."

Without looking at Charlie, Billy said calmly, "Let's just say there is a certain werewolf named Embry who right now is almost ready to kill Sam Uley, because he can't see her until he's learned control. If you see Sue or the others, it's best you don't mention his slipping off to see her." Charlie chuckled and asked quietly, "So it's Embry, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Remind you of a pact we had as kids?" he asked as Billy nodded and then said quietly, "It does. I remember those two back then.."

"Me too. Wanna come in and watch the game?"

"Yeah, I can come in for a while. We really haven't talked much since.."

"Yeah, I know.. But we also promised not to let a woman come between us. I don't want to lose my best friend.. But I'm happy with Sue." Charlie admitted as Billy nodded and said quietly, "I know."

Gigi sat on the small screened in back porch as she let her eyes adjust to the darkness as it fell over the woods. Checking her watch, she smiled as she heard the distant howling. Turning, she walked back into her kitchen, found the left overs she had from earlier that after noon, when she'd made herself buy a recipe book and then made beef stew.

It'd actually been pretty good too.

She laughed as she walked out onto the porch with the leftovers, pouring them into the bowl, but instead, her newfound 'pet' wanted to lick her all over the face first. "Whoa, boy.. Whoa. So, how was your day, big guy?" she asked as she let his cold wet nose nuzzle her face, sitting down with her glass of tea.

_'It's so much better now, babe. Tell me something.. Tell me anything.' _he thought as he nuzzled against her, breathing in her scent. She seemed a little less depressed every time he saw her lately.. Now if only he could see her again not in wolf form. Sam said soon, but he wanted now, not soon.

He'd been waiting for this a really, really long time.

"So.. I went to the doctor to day.. The little guy's doing great.. And I'm thinking of naming him after someone special.. Speaking of names.. I should probably give you a name too, huh..."

He made a few barking noises, almost sounded like he was talking to her in some ways, this always surprised her. "Oh, yeah.. Like I was saying.. I think I have the perfect name for my little guy.." as her hand found her stomach, and the wolf's nose nuzzled against it.

_'Hey kiddo.. You don't know me yet.. But I'm gonna do my best to be your dad.. I never.. I never really got one.. I mean the guys in the tribe, yeah, they stepped up, and my mom, she's cool as hell.. But.. I'm gonna love you like you were mine.' _ Embry thought as he listened to Gigi talking, waiting to hear the name she'd picked for her (or their, he was starting to think of the kid as his even now, really) little boy.

"I'm sort of thinking Embry Charles.. After this guy I've sort of always been in love with and my uncle.. Because Uncle Charlie was probably the closest thing I had to a dad as a kid."

_'Wow.. I.. You loved me?.. I had no idea...' _the gray wolf thought to himself as he nuzzled against her, did his best to at least try and bark or grunt the words back to her, swearing mentally when he couldn't do it well and understandably.

Gigi sighed, hugged herself as she said "So.. Are you gonna come inside, big guy, or is tonight another in and out visit like last night?"

She got her answer when the other wolves howled nearby, and his head shot up, his warm brown eyes became alert and he let her pet him one more time, before licking her, then running off towards the forest.

**'Sam is gonna kick your ass'**

_'Not if you don't tell him, jacob. And anyway, you're always sneaking to see Nessie, so back off.. And the little guy has a name.' _

**_'we heard, mushball.'_**

_'kiss my ass, paul. that's exactly what you can do right now. what's going on? Normally you guys give me a little longer before you make your presence known?'  
_

**_'smelled a vamp nearby.. and not the good kind either.. Alec... Leah said she saw him peeking in the window of your girls house. so we're all guarding this area tonight.'_**

_'son of a.. Okay, damn it, screw the rules.. i'm gonna go back.'  
_

**_'no, embry, we're all gonna stick close to the house.. if it is Alec... then we'll talk to Sam and figure something out. Charlie gave her a gun, we told Bella and Edward as soon as we smelled him on the land, and they're right down the road.'_**

_'yeah, no.. not trusting her safety to a pack of fucking leeches.'  
_

**_'embry? are you really gonna make me knock you the fuck out right now? are you?'_**

**'back off him, paul or i'll make sure you wind up on your ass. i'd do the same thing if it were kim. let him go back.'**

_**'and get my ass crawled by Sam? hell no.'**_

_**'both of you shut the hell up, seriously.. I'm getting a headache. Jared's got a point, Paul. Just let him go back. we can stick close by and I'll go back to Nessie's and tell Edward and Bella in person so they know something's up. then I'll tell dad, so he can warn charlie.'  
**_

_'going now, guys. i smell the guy still and i'm not gonna stand here and fight you. so either let me or try and stop me. either way, damn the consequences, i'm going back. i'll stay a wolf for tonight. but there is no way in hell i'm leaving them in that house alone. not if it is alec on the loose.' _

He ran back to the cottage and whined at the door until Gigi let him inside, then he curled up in the mattress she had in the living room currently, until she got her bedroom furniture and her other stuff shipped to Washington. "I'm glad your back, big guy.. Damndest thing happened a few minutes ago.. Some creepy ass guy with funny reddish looking eyes knocked at the door. He said he needed to use my phone, tried to get me to talk to him.. I didn't like the sound of him so I called uncle Charlie.. When I walked back out, he'd gone, but there was a blood red rose on the porch, stuck in the screen door. And I'm starting to see why I didn't date much before you know who, or now, after losing him.. "

She yawned, her arm slipping over the furry body of the wolf. When Embry knew she was asleep, he phased back into human form quickly, and got up, locking the doors and windows, making sure every single one was locked. Then he slid back down onto the mattress behind her, his lips grazing her neck a little.

"Silly boy." Gigi muttered a little, feeling the 'lick' of the large furry animal lying next to her.. She'd started to drift off to sleep really well, so it really didn't occur to her that she didn't feel fur or claws, paws.. She felt firm hard muscle, skin against skin, human lips grazing her neck.. But this probably triggered the dream she started to have, during the course of the night, about none other than Embry Call.

He seemed to be on her brain constantly since she'd seen him a few days ago.


End file.
